THE Bacolod City Health Office (CHO) logged 67 cases of hand-foot-mouth-disease (HFMD) from January 1 to February 11, 2023, an official of the CHO said Tuesday, February 21.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO Environment Sanitation Division, said that Barangay Handumanan topped the list with 16 cases, followed by Barangay Vista Alegre with seven;
Barangays Pahanocoy and Villamonte with five cases each; Barangays Banago, Bata, and Estefania with four cases each; Barangays Mansilingan, Mandalagan, and Tangub with three cases each; and Barangays Felisa and Granada with two cases each.
Barangays 2, 13, and Montevista also recorded one case each of HFMD.
Tan said the HFMD is a common childhood infectious illness caused by the Coxsackie virus.
She said it can affect adults and is most contagious in the first week.
She added that the signs and symptoms of HFMD include a sore throat, fever, and painful ulcers or blisters in the hands and feet, sometimes the thighs and buttocks.
Tan noted that HFMD spreads through direct contact with droplets from coughing or sneezing, touching an infected person, direct contact through kissing, hugging, or sharing utensils, direct contact with an infected person’s feces, and also touching infected objects and surfaces.
Tan said they are now monitoring the cases in the barangays, including the clustering cases in schools, and taking the necessary measures to control and prevent further spread.
To prevent the spread of the disease, Tan urged the public to always practice hand washing, especially after touching an infected person or body fluids, feces, or before eating, to keep an infected child or person at home to avoid transmission, avoid sharing items, and to disinfect surfaces with bleach.
Meanwhile, dengue cases in Bacolod City have continued to increase, which is 90.6 percent higher as of February 11, compared to the same period last year.
Records from the CHO showed that the city had a total of 61 dengue cases, with one fatality.
For the same period last year, there were only 32 cases and one death.
Tan said the barangays with clustering of dengue cases from January 21 to February 11 include Barangays Cabug, Mansilingan, Pahanocoy, Estefania, and Vista Alegre.
Records also showed that Barangays Vista Alegre, Estefania, Mansilingan and Cabug topped the list with five cases each, followed by Barangays Pahanocoy, Granada, Mandalagan, and Alijis with four each; Barangays Tangub and Taculing with three each; and Barangays 40, Villamonte, Singcang-Airport, and Bata with two each.
The CHO urged the public to practice the 4S program of the Department of Health, which stands for Search and destroy mosquito breeding places; use Self-protection measures; Seek early consultation for fever lasting more than two days; and Say no to indiscriminate fogging.*